Revised "Pill Mill" Bill Approved by House Committee

So much for the governor's pill mill "strike force." Florida just may get a prescription-drug-monitoring program after all.

Today, the House Appropriations Committee approved a revised bill (HB 7095) that scraps Gov. Rick Scott's proposal to repeal the drug tracking system, which also received strong support from House Speaker Dean Cannon. This comes on the heels of Friday's announcement from the Department of Health that it planned to go ahead with the database anyway.

Attorney General Pam Bondi, a staunch database supporter, was enthused about the bill despite harsh criticism from small pharmacists, according to Naked Politics. The legislation imposes new requirements on independent pharmacies that don't apply to large chains such as CVS and Walgreens.

"You call this a pill mill bill," said Linda Bezick, a dismayed small pharmacist. "This is really an anti-small-pharmacy bill. It's very offensive."